Faulty Wiring
by ioanhoratio
Summary: Takes place just before DOA for a Day, during the season 4 debacle.  Lindsay gets flowers and Danny is jealous, but what right does he have?  This isn't my Messer Family Fluff.
1. Chapter 1

**Faulty Wiring**

**By: ioanhoratio**

**A/N: This takes place just before season 4's _DOA for a Day_. I was playing around on my computer and came across a few stories I had started but hadn't finished. This one was almost done so I decided to go ahead and finish it. It is in three parts (and don't worry all three parts are finished so I won't leave this story hanging LOL!) and it is the first story I've written that takes place before season 5. It weird for me to not write DL as a married couple. Any hoo, this is not a particularly happy one, if everyone recalls the debacle that was season 4, but I hope you enjoy it.  
**

**

* * *

**

"Who would be sending Lindsay flowers?" Danny griped as he paused in the hallway, looking into the glass surrounding his and Lindsay's office.

"What's that?" Hawkes asked when he realized that Danny was no longer walking with him down the hallway.

Danny gave him a confused look and mumbled, "'Scuse me just a sec." He then pushed the door open to the office and strode purposefully over to Lindsay's desk. He frowned at the bouquet of spring flowers. They were beautiful and obviously expensive, and were arranged in a glass vase that clearly communicated a deep relationship. Danny fingered one of the petals and his frown deepened. 'Who the hell would send my girl flowers?' he thought bitterly, his jealousy drowning out his reasoning. The fact that he hadn't been a very good boyfriend since Ruben's death didn't factor into his current reaction.

Danny ignored common sense, and began poking around the flowers to find the card. He told himself he just wanted to make sure the flowers weren't meant for someone else, and wound up on Lindsay's desk by mistake. His search came up empty and he sighed in frustration.

"Danny?" her voice called from behind him.

He whirled around, surprised at being caught unaware. He cringed slightly, knowing she had to have seen him messing with her floral arrangement. "Hey Linds," he said, trying to keep his voice light.

She didn't so much as smile at him. "Is there something you needed?" she asked, her tone chilly.

"No...ah...I was jus' lookin' at the flowers...they're ah...they're really pretty," he stammered out.

She gave a derisive snort, but her tone was anything but humorous when she answered, "Yes they are."

When she gave no indication of explaining where they had come from Danny felt his frustration grow. "That's it?"

"What's _it_ Danny?" Lindsay tiredly questioned, pushing past him to walk over to her desk.

In Danny's current state, his emotions were nearly uncontrollable; the lack of sleep, the weight of guilt and shame, his questioning of his worthiness in life had led him to a dark, destructive place. As a result his irritation bloomed into an irrational anger.

"Somebody's sendin' ya flowers an' I'm jus' suppose to be ok with it?" he barked, "No explanation to me? Nothin'? You were pissed at me last night for no reason, an' then today you act like I did somethin' wrong. What's your problem?"

Danny watched as the indignation on Lindsay's face changed. He was itching for a fight, and was surprised when instead of anger, he saw her expression close off. For a moment he saw hurt in her eyes but that too was soon buried behind a mask he hadn't seen since the trial in Montana.

Danny immediately regretted his words, especially when Lindsay calmly reached into the top drawer of her desk and tossed a little white envelope onto the desk in front of him. Her name was neatly scrawled across it. He didn't move.

"Go ahead," she said, indicating the envelope with a nod of her head.

Danny hesitated. He knew he'd messed up.

"Go ahead Danny," she said evenly, each word carefully enunciated, "read it."

When he still didn't move for it, Lindsay picked it up off the table and pulled the card out of the envelope and pressed it into Danny's hand. She quickly controlled her features, and with her head high, stoically exited the room.

Danny wished he was able to put the card down, and just run after her to apologize, but he couldn't. He was making a mess of everything, of everyone's life. Nothing was clear to him, except the fact that he wanted to know who sent her the flowers.

He looked down at the card.

"Shit."

* * *

**to be continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Faulty Wiring**

**Part 2**

**By: ioanhoratio**

**AN: Thanks so much to those who reviewed; Dine89, danny-lindsay4e, rhymenocerous, LoveIsInTheAir4DL, webdlfan, laurzz, silenceeverything, afrozenheart412. And at DLChem thanks to daytimedream, tinihasbi, Juliab24, Rhlyee, stacon. You guys are fantastic! Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**

* * *

**

_Danny Messer wearily pushed open the door to his apartment. After 12 hours on the clock he had gone out with Flack for a beer. Once he'd drunk Flack under the table, Danny had made his way to another bar and had hid in the dark confines of the unfamiliar. No one knew him at that bar, no one knew what he had done, what he had allowed to happen. He welcomed the cold and obscurity, but had to eventually stumble home. It was 3 a.m. and he had to be back at work by 9. His exhausted body screamed for sleep and that iwas what Danny wanted, to fall into oblivion. Danny had learned that sleep was elusive unless he extended himself beyond his physical limits. So he drank, and he worked, and he drank, and he worked, and then he finally slept. His body was pleading for him to rest and Danny began to move towards his bedroom when he stumbled on something._

"_What the hell?" he grumbled. He reached down and picked up the object. It was a shoe, but the pointed heel and tiny size told him it wasn't one of his shoes. Danny blinked several times, trying to clear his alcohol induced haze. He was finally able to focus long enough to realize the light above the oven was on. In the dim illumination he could see plates of food on his counter. With a confused shake of his head he moved towards the open area, but stopped as his eye caught a lump on his couch._

_His slowed senses finally caught up, and he knew the shoe he was holding belonged to the lump on his couch. Still holding the shoe, he moved over to where she lay, asleep. He watched her for a moment, a wave of melancholy washing over him. When they had first started seeing each other he would watch her sleep. She would toss and turn, her brows knitting together, a small frown on her face. Her dreams still filled with haunting, tragic images. He had started reaching out to her, smoothing away the lines from her forehead, comforting her. She had responded to his touch, and soon her face had become completely relaxed at night and she found it easier to settle. Yet as he gazed down at her now he could see that tense expression was back. Just as he had been responsible in taking it away, he was now responsible for bringing it back. His hand reached out automatically, to mimic what he had done in the past, and reassure her she was safe, but he stopped. He couldn't do it. Not now, not now that he..._

_Suddenly unable to stand having her here, so vulnerable and in his care, he stood and scrambled back. His movements were sluggish and before he could react he had tripped over her purse._

"_Fuck," he cried as he reached out frantically for anything to stop his decent. It was useless in his inebriated state and he landed with a loud thud on the floor, her shoe careening forcefully into the wall._

_Lindsay's eyes flew open at the violent sound. He saw the panicked look on her face as she struggled to figure out what was going on. Her eyes finally rested on him and her expression changed from fear to confusion._

"_Danny?" she croaked, her voice scratching from the hours of disuse as had she slept. _

"_Yeah," he answered dispassionately, as if it were completely normal to be flat on his ass in the middle of the night._

"_What happened? Are you alright?" She asked, rolling off the couch and coming to his aid._

"_I'm fine," he snapped, pushing away her offered hand. "I tripped over your purse." His tone was angry and accusatory. _

_He heard her intake of breath but ignored it. He clumsily pulled himself up, and swayed as he stood upright. _

"_Danny? Are you...are you drunk?"_

_He didn't answer._

"_Have you been out all night?" she pressed._

_He cringed at the surprise in her voice. She didn't know he was destroying his life one beer at a time. Ignoring her question, he petitioned, "What're you doin' here Linds?"_

_In the dim light he could see her press her lips tightly together. "I made dinner," she told him quietly. _

_Danny's focus shifted to the plates of food sitting on the counter, now cold and congealed._

"_Oh," he breathed, "Did we have plans?"_

_Lindsay hesitated. "No, nothing set..."_

_Danny interrupted her, "So we didn't have plans?"_

"_I was hoping," Lindsay started, but Danny, feeling guilty over his treatment of her, went on the defensive._

"_Well, sorry, but I can't be responsible for what you're hopin' for. I didn't know you wanted to have dinner so I made plans with Flack."_

"_Right," she answered dejectedly, turning away from him and walking to the kitchen._

_Danny could tell she was upset. "Are you angry?" he demanded._

_It was Lindsay's turn not to answer._

"_Are you serious?" he griped, "I don't know that you're gonna show up an' make dinner, an' you're pissed 'cause I wasn't here?"_

_Lindsay grabbed the first plate of food she came to, walked over to the garbage and scraped it clean. "No Danny," she said quietly, "that's not why I'm upset."_

_He watched her place the plate in the sink, then reach for another one, making the same track to the garbage. When she offered no further explanation, Danny felt his frustration, helped by his less than sober state, intensify to new levels. "Are you gonna explain it to me or am I suppose to read your mind about that as well?"_

_Lindsay paused, her jaw clenching as she grounded out. "Don't get pissed at me for caring about you."_

"_Carin' about me?" Danny parroted in disbelief, "This is you carin' about me? Gettin' angry at me for no reason?"_

"_I'm not arguing with you while you're drunk," Lindsay finally responded._

_Shaking his head, Danny barked, "Fine, I'm going to bed. Leave the damn dishes." And stormed to his bedroom. _

Staring at the words on the card Danny felt shame prick his heart as he thought of how he had treated her last night; what he could remember of it anyway before he had passed out on his bed. The next morning he had awoken to find his shoes and glasses had been removed, and a blanket pulled over his body. The dishes had been done as well, but there had been no trace of Lindsay.

He had felt bad about his behavior, or at least he thought he felt bad. Those feelings were nothing compared to how he felt now as the words on the card mocked him. It was dated for yesterday and Danny knew there was no easy way to fix this.

**_Lindsay,_**

**_Happy birthday darling. We miss you!_**

**_Love,_**

**_Mom & Dad_**

_

* * *

_

_**to be continued...**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Faulty Wiring**

**Part 3**

**By:ioanhoraito**

**A/N: Here it is, the final chapter. Special thanks to alexindiog, silenceeverything, afrozenheart412, Dine89, webdlfan, egoofy34, rhymenocerous, danaaa, and Lindsay1234 (x2 ^_^). And for the lovely ladies over at DLChem, thanks to daytimedream, Prairie, TASolo, jycanucks, Juliab24, jennifer32485, hms, tinihasbi, juels4ya, and Rhylee! Each of you are fabulous and your reviews make writing fanfic worth it!**

**

* * *

**

"Hey, Danny, you coming?" Hawkes asked, poking his head into the office.

Danny's head snapped up from the card. He had completely forgotten that he was helping Hawkes with some evidence. With a nod of his head he shoved the little card back into its envelope, and placed it gently amongst the flowers.

Hawkes smiled. "Sorry man, didn't realize you were in the middle of something," then with a knowing look he added, "Did you get those for Lindsay?"

Danny cleared his throat, trying to bury his embarrassment. "No...ah...they're from her parents."

"Oh," Hawkes responded, "that's nice."

"Yeah," Danny answered absently, "that was nice." After a brief pause he asked, "Hey Hawkes, why didn't we do anything for Lindsay yesterday?"

Hawkes' face became a mask of confusion as he stared at Danny, then it cleared as realization dawned. "Oh! Of course, yesterday you wound up going home straight from that scene on 31st," Hawkes said by way of explanation, "Mac brought in a cake and we all had a slice at the end of her shift. I'm surprised she didn't tell you. When we offered to take her out to dinner she said she couldn't because she was spending the evening with you."

Danny, relying on years of getting himself out of sticky situations, quickly improvised, "Yeah, well it turned out talking was the last thing on our minds." He let the comment hang out there and by the knowing grin and wink he got from Hawkes knew the other man had drawn his own conclusions. Danny appeased himself by believing it wasn't strictly a lie. Last night he hadn't wanted to talk to her. Even though the suggestive nature of his comment had saved him from being censured by his friend, it had only proved to drive home the gap between him and Lindsay. The gap he had created.

Not knowing what else he could do Danny just walked away, motioning for Hawkes to follow him. The two men headed to where the evidence had been gathered and began the meticulous work of cataloging. It was a welcomed distraction as Danny immersed himself in his job. By the time he and Hawkes had finished, the sun had long since set and he knew Lindsay's shift was over. A glance at her desk confirmed she was no longer at the lab since her jacket and purse were not where she normally left them, and her computer's screen was dark. The flowers were still there however.

Danny stared at them. They were Gerber daisies, brightly colored with pinks, oranges, and yellows. Danny couldn't help the small smile that played on his face. A year ago he wouldn't have know a daisy from a rose, but he knew these flowers because they were Lindsay's favorite. He remembered leaving her a small white daisy after their first night together.

He sighed.

That night felt a lifetime ago.

"_There's no way you're gonna make this shot too Montana."_

"_A Benjamin says I do."_

_Her cheeky smile._

He reached out and ran his fingers against the smooth velvet of a petal. How he wished he could go back to that night, and stay there forever.

"_I dreamt that I woke up and you were gone. You left a note."_

_Her breath tickled his skin._

"_Where would I go..."_

"Danny?"

He jumped away from the bouquet, startled. For the second time that day Lindsay walked in on him messing with her stuff, but this time her face was soft, almost kind.

Danny couldn't look at her.

"I thought you left," he said lamely.

"I forgot these," she answered softly, motioning to the floral arrangement he had been caressing moments earlier. Danny said nothing, just stepped out of the way so she could grab the vase. Her scent permeated his senses; memories and emotions flooded through him, forcing his eyes to close as the weight of the lives he had destroyed pressed heavily against him.

She was nearly to the door when he was finally able to open his eyes again and called out, almost in a panic, "I'm sorry." To his shame his voice broke, thick with regret and self loathing.

She stopped. Her back was straight and for a moment he feared she would ignore him, or maybe he prayed that she would. She eventually turned to him, a smile on her face that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I know."

"I...I've been..." he tried, he really did, but the words refused to come. The pain surfaced and drowned out his attempts to tell her that he needed help, to beg her to stay with him, to forgive him and save him. He didn't deserve it. He ran a hand over his face and instead promised, "I'll make it up to you." He was going to pretend it was true.

With a nod, her fake smile still on her face, she answered, "Ok," and with a teasing tone added, "you'd better."

She was going to pretend too.

The end.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**

**So I'm contemplating an epilogue or perhaps another season four story. I was surprised by how well this story was received and am grateful for all the encouragement. The writer in me wants to continue the story (thanks to all the great suggestions in the reviews, you guys seriously are the best people to write for and interact with!) but I swore I would finish this story in three parts LOL! Sorry this one didn't end quite as prettily as my others but I was trying to stay in the time frame of the show and we all know how that ended. I would like to continue exploring this portion of their relationship. Again, thanks to those who reviewed for being so awesome! **


End file.
